House of Returns
by OneMoreDawn
Summary: My view on season 4. TTOR not included. Nina returns to Anubis House, will she and Fabian be able to pick up where they left off? And will Nina find the key she needs to stay in the same house as Eddie? A new adventure and old friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello guys!**

**So here is my new story: **_**House of Returns**_**.**

**This story is basically my view on what season 4 could or should be like. I wrote the first chapter before **_**The Touchstone of Ra**_** was announced, so none of the storyline of the movie will be included.**

**This story will include stuff from both season 2 and season 3 as well as new stuff.**

**I am really proud of this story (more than I am of my other story), so I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Sibuna!**

**Disclaimer: **_**House of Anubis **_**is****, never has been and never will be, mine. Everything belongs to **_**Nickelodeon**_** and **_**Studio 100**_**.**

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_Chapter one_

When the taxi pulled up the grounds, she looked out the window. It had been over a year since she last saw the building, but it felt like it was only yesterday. The high towers still giving her the Hogwarts feeling she'd had since she first arrived there. She just knew so much more about the school now, about the secrets hidden underneath it. In the two terms she had attended the school and lived at Anubis House, she had seen more than she ever could have imagined before first arriving in England to start her boarding school adventure.

She had arrived early; the grounds weren't filled with people yet. She noticed the headmaster, Mr. Sweet, a few feet away. He looked the same as always: same clothes, same bowtie, same excitement he always radiated at the start of a new year.

She paid the driver, her attention fixed on the school she had missed so much. Her school in America had been completely different, she had missed the British accents that had become familiar, she had missed her friends and the secrets and mysteries of the school and its grounds. She had even missed the voice of Victor, yelling it was ten o'clock.

But there were two people in particular she'd missed: Amber Millington and Fabian Rutter, her best friends and the latter had also been her boyfriend. The three of them had been the founding members of Sibuna, their secret club.

Nina felt a sting of guilt when she thought about Fabian. The way they had parted had been wrong and she knew she was the one to blame for that. She should have talked to him in person instead of writing him a letter and trusting Eddie to give it to his friend and roommate.

Just then Nina noticed a familiar face, the boy was trying to impress a girl with long red hair by carrying both his and her suitcases and trying to close the door of the car they both had just gotten out of. Alfie.

She hadn't realized she had actually called out his name until he turned around to face her and looked as if he had just seen a ghost. She smiled as he had stopped for her to catch up with him. The look of surprise had vanished and was now replaced by a big grin and he put the suitcases down and held his arms out for a big Alfie-hug.

"What are you doing here?" he said, as they both took a step back. Nina had known that question would come and because Alfie was part of Sibuna, he probably knew the real reason for her absence last term. "Well, I am back, obviously." She was aware of the fact that people were going to ask for more information, but that was something she wanted to tell only once and only in a club meeting.

Alfie interrupted Nina's thoughts "Nina, do you remember Willow?" He looked at the redheaded girl next to him. Nina smiled at her "We had some classes together, right?" The girl gave Nina the biggest smile she had probably ever seen, "We did. I was in Isis House back then, now I'm in Anubis House." Nina wondered how many people now lived in Anubis House. She asked Alfie about the changes.

"Well," he started, "after you left, a new girl moved in, she's from America as well. Then early last term, Amber left to go to fashion school and Willow moved in. Mara announced at the end of last term that she would be leaving, so I guess you will take her place"

Nina couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Amber left? She couldn't imagine living here without her best friend. Despite their differences, the two girls had grown really close. Until Nina left and she had broken all contacts with her friends, she had hoped it would be easier not to miss them that way. She hadn't realized until now how wrong she had been. She had regretted leaving the house and leaving her friends, but it had been the only solution then. Now she knew more, she knew things she hadn't known then.

xxx

When they arrived at the house, she felt like she was home. She had forgotten how it gave her the creeps and made her feel at home at the same time. Memories came back, memories from the cellar and the hidden room Frobisher Smythe had there, memories of the tunnels under the house, memories of the attic, where she had first found out about the mystery. But she also remembered normal things: the room she'd shared with Amber, walking into Fabian's room while he was playing the guitar. Even the common room and the kitchen held memories.

Trudy came rushing into the hall when they entered the house, holding out her arms an looking as joyful as ever, she first hugged Willow and Alfie and then walked over to Nina, who threw her arms around the housemother everyone loved so much. "Nina sweety," Trudy started, "it's so good to have you back!" She had a huge smile on her face and Nina couldn't help but smile as well.

Nina followed Trudy into the kitchen to help her with the last plates filled with food. The - she noticed new - dinner table was already filled with cookies, sandwiches, cake and drinks. The housemother had once again outdone herself.

"Trudy," Nina started, "where will I sleep this year?"

Trudy smiled, as if it was something special. This made Nina curious. Before she could ask any more questions, Trudy continued, "We will have six girls this year, instead of two triple rooms, there will be three double rooms. You will share the room in the attic." Trudy didn't say who Nina's roommate was going to be. Nina felt too excited to think about it, she would find out in a couple of hours. The attic meant that she would be close to the Cup of Ankh at all times.

Just as Nina walked back into the kitchen, she heard the front door again. Walking back into the hall, she saw the very odd picture of Joy and Jerome holding hands and laughing together. Jerome looked happier than he ever had. Nina realized how much she had missed. Joy and Jerome looked amazing together. She also noticed Joy's new look. Her hair was wavy and her clothing style had changed drastically.

Just then Joy turned her head towards Nina and her expression changed. There was joy, but there was also some anger and, of course, surprise. Nina couldn't blame Joy for the anger; she was close to Fabian after all.

Jerome was the one to break the silence, "So the American has returned." Nina smiled, "You and I both know I am not the only American in this house anymore. Alfie told me another girl from the States moved in last term."

When Nina mentioned Alfie's name, Jerome was already on his way to the common room to greet his best friend. This left Nina and Joy alone in the hall. Nina knew she and the other girl had a lot to talk about, they hadn't always been friendly to each other and had even lived as rivals, fighting over Fabian's heart and his attention. But Joy had also gotten involved with the club when they needed her brains for the Senet game down in the tunnels, she had saved Nina and Alfie this way. After that, Joy had nearly lost her life when Nina had put the Mask of Anubis on. She owed Joy.

"Joy, listen," Joy looked up and Nina knew it was now or never, she and Joy had to set things right, so she continued: "I know you're angry with me for hurting Fabian the way I did, I know I should have talked to him instead of writing nothing more than a letter and entrusting it to Eddie." Joy's eyes softened, but Nina wasn't done yet. "I also want you to know that I owe you so much. You beat Frobisher Smythe's Senet game and saved me, even though you hated me and then we almost lost you in Frobisher library when I wore the Mask." Nina felt relief when she let it all out, she'd had it on her mind for months now, now she could do nothing but wait for a reaction from the other girl.

Joy sighed and then looked up to Nina, a very tiny smile appearing on her face. "You don't owe me anything, I was horrible to you and even to Fabian, even though I didn't realize it at the time. I was being incredibly selfish. I'm over Fabian now and to be honest, I feel happier than ever. I know that's hard to imagine with Jerome, but he really does make me happy, the two of us are more alike than we realized and we went through the same stuff together last term." Nina gave her a confused look; she didn't know what had happened last term. Joy noticed the confused look on the other girl's face "I would explain it to you, but I'll leave that up to the club. I wasn't part of it last year." She beat Nina on her question.

At that moment, the front door opened again and the person Nina had been hoping and dreading the most to see walked into the hall.

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**Reviews are very welcome! Please let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys!**

**I don't think I've ever updated this fast. Here's another chapter of House of Returns.**

**I wanted to try to update before leaving for London and somehow I managed to do that. Just don't expect me to always update this fast, this chapter was nearly finished when I uploaded the first one.**

**This chapter still is a bit of an introduction, though it hints at the new mystery as well. It's also a really long chapter (for my writing that is), I can't promise nor deny that they are all going to be this long.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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_Chapter two_

Fabian came into the hall, his guitar case in one hand, suitcase in the other. When he looked at the two people in the hall, he couldn't believe his eyes. On his left was one of his closest friends, Joy. On his right was the girl he thought he'd never see again in the house: Nina.

For what felt like forever the three of them just stood there, not knowing what to do or say. Fabian didn't even know what his current relationship with Nina was. Was she still his girlfriend? He didn't think so. His ex-girlfriend then? That was more likely to be the case. But he had never been able to look at Nina like that: simply his girlfriend or his ex-girlfriend. She was so much more than that: she was the Chosen One, _his_ Chosen One.

Fabian hadn't even realized Joy had walked away until Nina took a step towards him. It was a step filled with caution and hesiation. Deep down he wanted nothing more than throw his arms around her and never let her go again. But he had to be reasonable. How much he hated to admit it: Nina had hurt him. He hadn't heard anything from her in such a long time except for one letter at the beginning of the previous term. She had left him with so many questions and now he wanted the answers.

It was Nina who broke the silence: "Fabian?" He could hear the hesitation in her voice, but he could also hear the american accent he'd missed so much. Sure he'd had Eddie and KT with their accents last term, but it wasn't the same. Nina had been the first American in the house since he'd moved in. He loved it when she used typically American words and when she got confused over the British names for things.

He realized he hadn't said anything. It was Nina again who talked: "I know I should've let you know I was coming back. I messed up. Again." He had never seen her show this kind of emotion before. It was so different from how she had been when Sarah had died or when her Gran was in the hospital. He could hear how sorry she was. He knew they had a lot to talk about, but being mad at Nina wasn't going to help him. Instead he smiled "Let's talk about this later, right now I'm just happy you're back."

She smiled and her whole body seemed to relax. Fabian had spent enough time with her to know when she was tense, and she had been very tense a few seconds ago.

Xxx

Nina knew it wasn't over yet. Talking things through with Fabian was something they would have to do in private, with him it was about more than just leaving Sibuna. She had messed up their entire relationship, which was a relationship that had been, and still was, very important to her. Fabian had been her first love, and she wanted him to know that more than anything. She still felt the same way and she knew he never could. Not after the way she left them.

She smiled at Fabian "Come on, Trudy has made a whole bunch of food. Let's go get some before Alfie eats everything." At that moment, they were back to how they were: Fabian and Nina. Best friends, laughing at their fellow housemates. They both missed something though: the blonde girl who was always full with joy, Amber. Without her, their friendship didn't seem complete.

They walked into the common room, where a lively chatter sounded. Willow was sitting in one of the armchairs, Joy and Jerome shared the couch and Alfie was standing next to the table, muffin in one hand and a chocolate-chip cookie in his other. Nina could get used to this sight, although almost everything about it was new, it still felt familiar. She couldn't wait for the others to arrive, for the energy of ten teenagers in one house.

Just at that moment the front door slammed again and Nina heard a very familiar American accent: Eddie. She heard another American accent. A girl. She assumed this was the girl Alfie had mentioned earlier: KT. Nina didn't know a lot about her, just that she was from America as well and that she had joined Sibuna last term. She would talk to her and Eddie later. She had no idea what had happened last term, but she was sure it had been an adventure.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by the new arrivals. Eddie to be exact, he seemed to be full of energy. Nina wondered if he and Patricia were still broken up. He had told her Patricia had broken their relationship off because she was afraid of the commitment when the two of them had talked during the vacation. She wasn't anywhere in sight, but that was also possible because Eddie came straight from the airport while Patricia came by car.

Nina decided to wait in the common room for the arrivals instead of greeting them in the hallway. She wanted a few more seconds to herself. Instead of worrying about Eddie's reaction, she looked at Fabian, who seemed to be a bit distressed about having the Osirian and the Chosen One in the same house now that both their powers were unlocked. She couldn't blame him for being worried, the Chosen One and the Osirian had to be kept apart for the safety of both of them, but Nina had found a way around that, and she would tell them as soon as Sibuna was complete. She brushed her hand over his and whispered "Don't worry, it'll be okay. Trust me on this."

She knew asking for his trust was harder than it once had been. Nina and Fabian used to trust each other with the other person's life. But Nina wasn't asking Fabian to entrust his life to her, just his patience. She was still relieved when he smiled at her, she knew this meant he did trust her and just for a second, she felt happier than she could imagine; it meant their friendship wasn't entirely lost, that parts of it still existed under all the guilt and regret she had felt in the past few months.

Their little bubble was broken when Eddie walked in, shouting "The master is home, you can all-". His sentence abruptly ended when he came face-to-face with Nina, his eyes full of surprise and disbelief. There was no joy to be seen and Nina couldn't blame him, he was afraid of the same thing Fabian was afraid of: the consequences of the two of them together.

He quickly recovered himself, finishing his sentence with "stop worrying and start living your lives." Nina couldn't help but smile, even though she knew she had a lot of explaining to do. But before any of that, she needed the locket as soon as possible, it would keep them safe for the time being. She turned to Fabian, hoping he could help her.

"Fabian," she started, he voice back into its tense mode, "I need the locket as soon as possible. Do you know where it is?" He frowned for a moment and then suddenly left the room, almost running into who Nina assumed was KT. The girl looked a bit surprised when Fabian crashed into her, but the look of surprise quickly vanished and was replaced by a smile. Nina already knew she liked this girl.

KT's attention quickly moved to Nina and in a few seconds the two girls where right in front of each other, KT already holding her hand up. Nina quickly took it and shook it, introducing herself. The other girl seemed to be amused by the introduction. "So you're the famous Nina Martin everyone is always talking about. I'm KT Rush, the Other American Girl." Nina couldn't help but laugh at that.

Right at the moment Fabian came back into the room, the front door opened again. Must be either Patricia or the mysterious roommate, Nina thought while quickly scanning the room. The familiar voice confirmed it was the first and Nina quickly looked around to see if there were glasses or jugs with water. And there were, quite a lot of them actually. She was never going to win this from Patricia Williamson.

In the few seconds Nina had used to look around for the drinks, Eddie had left his armchair and was already in the hallway, she could hear him say "Hey there, Yacker. You are never gonna guess who's here." Nina didn't hear a reply and about three seconds later Patricia entered the room. In her hand she held a soda can, which, Nina guessed, she'd had the intention of drinking. Instead, she started shaking it. Before she could open it however, Fabian grabbed it, saving Nina from Patricia's weapon of choice. For the moment at least.

"Care to explain yourself?" Patricia said, sounding like the girl she had been when Nina had first moved into the House.

Now that Sibuna seemed to be complete, although it would never actually be complete without Amber, Nina decided that it was time to tell them. Time for a Sibuna meeting. "Okay," she said, "Sibuna meeting in five minutes, attic. Someone tell Alfie as well." Everyone around her nodded, though the expressions on their faces were all completely different.

Before someone could ask any more questions, Nina left the room, picked up her suitcase and walked upstairs to her new room. She wondered who was going to be staying in the room she'd shared with Amber. Deep inside, she was happy she would be staying in a different room; she couldn't imagine Amber being replaced.

When she finally reached the door to the room in the attic she saw something she had not expected: shoes and clothes were all around the room, the desk was filled with make-up and hair accessories and right in front of the huge wardrobe was the cause of the mess.

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**FNRutterHoA: Thank you! Mabian might be mentioned, but it can't happen since Mara left. **

**xXAquaMangoXx: Thanks! Peddie just arrived. Even though this story's main focus is Fabina, I won't forget them. I love me some Peddie.**

**BELLA X STARFIRE7745231: You'll find out who the sixth girl is next chapter, but I think you can guess who it is based on the last paragraph of this chapter.**

**Thanks all for your positive reactions!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

**Here's chapter three of House of Returns. You will finally find out what kind of mystery we're gonna have during this story (the first one at least). This chapter isn't very eventful, but it is very important for the rest of the story.**

**Read the AN at the end of the chapter for answers on the questions that were asked after the previous chapter. I will also give some hints for the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**PS: I still don't own anything**.

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_Chapter three_

Amber Millington was standing there, in the middle of the chaos that covered the floor and both of the beds. Nina closed the door to catch her attention.

And it worked. The blonde girl froze and slowly turned around. Meanwhile, Nina observed her best friend: same long hair worn in its usual style. Her clothing style had slightly changed, it was bit more business-like and less girly, though Nina still noticed a lot of pink. Both in the outfit she was currently wearing and in the clothes all around the room.

Amber's eyes grew wide when she noticed her "new" roommate. The jeans she had been holding in her hands had fallen on the floor, but she didn't seem to mind. Her eyes were focused on Nina, on the girl who had been her first real best friend.

Several seconds passed before any of the girls did or said anything. Nina was afraid to make the first move, she just wanted to walk over to her best friend and hug her, but she knew what Amber could be like: she could have quite a temper from time to time, slapping friends on their arms like she had done with Fabian several times before.

But it was Amber who made the first move, she took a few steps to get to the other side of the room and threw her arms around Nina, almost throwing the American girl over. Nina, at her turn relaxed and hugged her best friend back.

She didn't know how long they had been standing there in silence, but it was Nina who broke the hug off. She smiled at Amber "It's so good to see you, Amber. I missed you so much." She felt like it was too much, but she didn't care. Amber had been a real friend to her, even though they'd had their differences when Nina had first moved into the house.

The blonde girl smiled, gave Nina a slap on her arm and smiled again "Just don't ever leave again like that." she said, an aura of joy around her. Nina knew Amber hadn't completely forgiven her yet, it wasn't in Amber's nature to forgive easily, but she did know that she hadn't lost her best friend. Because of this, she smiled and replied "I won't. I promise." And she really wasn't planning on leaving, not now graduation was so close, although she'd heard graduation here was a bit different from graduation in America.

Amber removed her stuff from both of the beds, so she and Nina could take a good look at them and decide who would get the bed near the door and who would get the bed near the wardrobe.

She looked at her roommate and decided to let her pick, "So," she said, "which one do you want?"

Nina laughed, "You want me to pick first? Why haven't you claimed one already?" As a reply, the blonde girl shrugged and said "I want the one near the door because it's near the door and this place still gives me the creeps. It doesn't matter how many times I've been up here." She added, when Nina gave her a look. "But I want the one next to the wardrobe because it's the wardrobe and it will be easier when I'm close to it." This was the worst excuse ever and both Nina and Amber knew it, so they both started laughing.

It was Nina who made the desicion: Amber would take the one near the wardrobe, because there was more space there to stock all her stuff, especially because the panel that led to the secret room had been fixed when this room had been occupied by Vera. Nina would take the bed closest to the door, it was placed right across the panel where she'd hidden the Cup of Ankh.

xxx

Being reunited with Amber had made Nina forget about the meeting she had called, so just when she unzipped her suitcase and sat down on what was now her bed, Fabian came in, followed by the rest of Sibuna. They all froze when they saw Nina's roommate, who was trying to find a way to get her KEEP CALM AND BUY SHOES poster on the wall.

They all had the same surprised expression on their faces, Fabian, Eddie and KT mixed with joy. Patricia's face looked like she'd had it, which Nina understood with two old roommates returning. It was Alfie's face that stood out the most. Nina knew Alfie and Amber had been a couple, but she didn't know if they had ever officially broken up, or if they had just assumed it had been over when Amber had left. She did know for sure that Alfie was now a thing with Willow.

"Please don't tell me Mick is hiding in Fabian's room and Mara changed her mind at the last moment about going to that fancy school." Patricia said in an irritated voice. Nina wanted to tell her Trudy had said there would be ten residents, but she chose to ignore the comment instead. "So now we're complete," she started, "it's time for me to explain what I found out while I was away."

The group spread itself out over the room; some people sat on the bed, others said on the floor or the chair in front of the desk. Nina sat down on her own bed, Fabian sat between the two beds and Amber took the other bed.

She started with the stuff they already knew: the Osirian had to protect the Chosen One, but they had to be kept apart. After she had told this, Nina sat in a more comfortable position, one she could hold while telling what she had found out.

"So we know the Chosen One is connected to the locket with the Eye of Horus on it. The locket does more than just open secret passageways in this house, it also protects the Chosen One from the Osirian after either's powers are activated." They all looked at Eddie, who sat next to the chair Patricia had taken, he was leaning backwards, his back against Patricia's legs, but he wasn't completely relaxed.

"So, you were away for a term for nothing?" Alfie asked. Nina turned towards him, but made sure her story was heard by the entire group, "Not exactly, after the Osirian and the Chosen One are united, they can only be together twice for a forthnight without the other side of the protection, which must be worn or kept by the Osirian."

"So, do we know what this 'protection' is?" KT asked. Nina sighed, "Not exactly, I just know it has something to do with the goddess Hathor and that it should be around the same size as the locket."

Everyone, except for Fabian, looked confused. It was Amber who asked what everyone else was probably thinking "Who's this Hathor?" Although Nina knew the answer to that question, she looked at Fabian. He had always been the one to tell them about the different gods included in their tasks.

He smiled and turned towards the group; "Hathor is the goddess who represents love, joy and motherhood. She was also seen as the goddess of music and the patron of the miners. Like Anubis is pictured as a jackal or Horus as a man with a falcon head, Hathor was sometimes pictured as a cow. Usually she was just shown as a woman. Some people like to refer to her as the Egypt version of the greek goddess Aphrodite or the Roman goddess Venus." He looked at Nina, who had a drawing of the goddess in her hands, "I am just a bit lost on what Hathor has to do with the protection of the Eye of Horus."

Nina handed the piece of paper to Amber and started telling again, "Hathor is the consort of Horus. Like Horus, she was sometimes seen with the Eye of Horus, which was also known as the Eye of Ra. Her other symbols were her crown, the sun disk, her necklace and a cobra." Nina handed out more pictures and drawings. "So we are probably looking for something that has to do with one of these objects. It could be a second Eye of Horus, but it could also be something else. All I can tell you is that we need to look out for her hieroglyphs." She pointed at the hieroglyph on the piece of paper Fabian was holding.

Eddie finally spoke: "So how do you know this piece of protection is here?"

Nina sighed "The Eye of Horus on the locket doesn't work without the powers of the protection of Hathor. I am not saying it's in the house, but it's definitely on these grounds. I'm almost sure it's not in the house, since we've never seen anything of Hathor here or in the secret tunnels under the house. It could be in the library, any of the other houses or somewhere else. We never saw more than the house and the library."

"You never saw more than the house and the library." Fabian corrected her. "We have seen almost everything on these grounds."

Nina turned towards him "What happened while I was away?"

Fabian started talking, the rest of the club sometimes adding some details. They told her about KT's arrival, her key and her task. About Miss Denby and the tank and how Amber had been forced to leave for her own safety after she had gotten the bracelet. After that, Amber listened with her full attention as well, taking Fabian out of his story only twice. Once when he told about the descendants: KT was Frobisher-Smythe's great-granddaughter and Alfie, Joy, Jerome and Patricia were the great-grandchildren of his expedition party. The second time she interrupted him was when he told about the sinners and how Patricia, Alfie and he had, along with Mr. Sweet and Victor had turned into the five sinners Frobisher had needed to raise Ammut and create more sinners.

After Fabian had told about Eddie and KT joining the keys and locking Ammut away, he stopped talking. Nina had heard so much in the last thirty minutes, that it was hard to believe all this had actually happened. They has also just told her that, besides the school, houses and library, there was a gatehouse, a crypt and a summerhouse on all this land.

Based on everything Fabian and the others had just told, she knew when she wanted to start looking for clues.

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**I hope you liked this chapter. I don't know when the next one will be up, but it shouldn't take me too long, I think.**

**To everyone who guessed it was Amber: it was kinda obvious, but I wanted to make it a surprise for Nina and the others. I love Amber, and I wanted her back as much as I wanted Nina back.**

**peaceluver6498: I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with Alfie/Amber/Willow yet. I kind of like Alfie and Willow together. And as for Amber and Alfie, I value their friendship more than I value their romantic relationship. I will just see where this story takes me, but I want to avoid a love triangle (I think we've had enough of those with Nina/Fabian/Joy in season 2 and Mara/Jerome/Willow and Mara/Jerome/Joy in season 3)**

**Guest: Nope. I have never and will never ship Neddie. I just want them to be friends. Sorry to disappoint you.**

**Everyone else: Thank you so much for your positive reactions! It really means a lot to me.**

**Next chapter will include Fabian's and Nina's talk, Amber explaining why she came back and the start of the search to the first clue.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Look who's on a roll again! Yeap, me! I hope all those who have summer break now are enjoying their holidays.**

**Here's chapter four of ****_House of Returns_****. And can we just take a moment to realize my chapters are getting longer and longer?**

**Business now: this chapter is some Fabina smut and I have to admit: it hurt to write it. It's not like what they would say in the actual series (don't say I didn't warn you), but this is how my mind translated it into words. The next chapter will finally be a bit more "active", with that I mean they will do more than just talk and research.**

**Before you start reading one (or actually two) more things: the people who can tell me ****three**** other houses of the boarding school (via a review or PM) will get a PM with a teaser for the next chapter. HINT: the names of the houses can be seen in the season 3 episode ****_House of Winning_****.**

**Secondly: I love feedback. So don't hesitate to leave a review, it's okay to tell me what you don't like, that way I can improve my writing and the story. I will also try to answer questions as good as I can (without spoiling the story of course)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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_Chapter four_

Now that Sibuna had seven members, it was easier to split up the group. Patricia and Eddie would try to go to the summerhouse and look for clues there. Alfie, Amber and KT would go Frobisher Library to do more research there. Nina would stay behind with Fabian, the two of them had more to discuss than just Hathor's protection.

There was an awkward silence. Fabian was going through the papers Nina had handed out earlier and Nina was messing around with the stuff in her suitcase, never actually taking anything out. She knew she was the one who had to speak first, she was the guilty party in this, so she spoke.

"I never meant to hurt you Fabian." He put the papers down, but remained silent, so Nina just kept talking, "I was going to tell you about it when you would come over to America, to make sure we could work it out. I wanted us to work out. I still do." The last parts was no more than a whisper and Fabian finally turned his attention to her.

"When you left, it destroyed me, and Amber as well. We stayed in Sibuna, even though we both believed there was no Sibuna without you. I became Eddie's wingman, but I still missed you and when I finally got over that, I started hanging out with Mara, her and I both had had a tough year, but before we considered ourselves a couple, she announced that she had been accepted into some program at Oxford and that she would be leaving at the end of the term. So I lost another girl in less than a year." He sighed, "I still care about you Nina, and I meant what I said when we got back together: you are my chosen one. But it's not going to be like before, we will see what time will do."

Nina fought the tears in her eyes. What had she been expecting? That Fabian would forgive her? That everything would be like it had been before? She had known it wouldn't be like that, but deep down she had hoped for Fabian's forgiveness. She knew she had no right to, but there was one more thing she wanted to know: "Did you love me, Fabian?"

This caught him off his guard. She knew he hadn't been expecting a question like that. He took a moment to get himself back together before he answered, carefully "I did. I think I still do. You were the first girl I loved, the first girl I fell in love with. Being with you always gave me a feeling I couldn't explain. Knowing you would be one of the first people I would see in the morning made me excited for the day." A hint a smile appeared on his face "Do you remember that song that played at prom, when we first kissed?"

Nina nodded "She played it again when we slow danced in the entrance hall, when we got back together." Fabian looked at her "That's how I felt about you. Every word of it is how I felt. How I still feel."

It took Nina all the strength she had to stay where she was, the tears had won the earlier fight. She didn't want Fabian to see her like that, but before she could turn her face away to wipe away the tears, he was looking at her, the feeling of guilt all over his face. He took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes, she opened them and looked into the eyes she had fallen in love with, "I loved you Fabian, I still love you, the thought of being able to see you again was what got me through last year. I didn't expect you to just forgive me, although a small part of me had hoped for that."

"I'm sorry Nina. I am so sorry." He held her hands so tight, but it didn't matter. The look on his face broke her heart.

"Don't be. You shouldn't be the one who's sorry. I am. I am so sorry for hurting you like that. I was so stupid, I never should have handled the situation like that." A forced smile appeared on her face and they just stared at each other for a few seconds. Nina slowly stopped crying and Fabian gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

xxx

Talking to Fabian had given Nina a sense of hope. Now that she knew Fabian still had feelings for her, she was determined to find whatever they were looking for. She wanted to stay at Anubis House, she wanted the life she had had here back and she wanted Fabian to be a part of it.

Now they were both looking for more information. Nina was searching through Sarah's old diaries, while Fabian had picked up his laptop from his room and was searching the internet. Aside from Sarah's diaries, Nina had also brought Robert Frobisher-Smythe's and even some of his wife upstairs. Sarah's diaries had given her no information so far.

She had just finished the third diary when she decided to start on the diaries nobody had read yet: Louisa Frobisher-Smythe's. She was about ten pages into it when she saw it: the hieroglyph of Hathor. She quickly scanned the page. Frobisher's wife wrote about the summerhouse and how she had made it a place for her and Sarah to spend some time together:

"Anubis House is my home, but it's all about the gods. There are no women to be seen. I made sure the summerhouse is more about the women, Isis and Hathor are everywhere. I hid some of the artifacts related to them there. I can use it as more than a summerhouse, I can use it to get away from Robert and do my work. He has all these secret rooms at the house, he does not even want me to enter them. I have created my own place. A place for me to retreat. May Isis and Hathor look over it and may they look over me and my daughter."

The entry was dated November 1922, after the expedition to king Tutankhamen's tomb. Sarah's mother probably didn't use the summerhouse that much, since she died at a young age. Sarah had always blamed Victor's father for the death of her parents. Nina now knew he wasn't responsible for the death of Robert Frobisher-Smythe, but she didn't know what to think of Louisa Frobisher-Smythe's death. She sighed and turned towards Fabian, who was looking at the computer screen with a little frown on his face. She had always liked that frown for some reason.

She interrupted her own thoughts "I think I found something. Look here." She handed the diary to Fabian, pointing at the passage she had been reading. Fabian quickly read it and then looked at the hieroglyph in the top right corner, the same hieroglyph that had caught Nina's eye, "I think we just found our first clue." His face lit up, but Nina knew she had to break off this moment of joy. "We already sent Patricia and Eddie to the summerhouse, if they find something, all this research has been for nothing."

She took a deep breath and pushed the pile of diaries away, feeling useless. She looked at Fabian, who still had a hopeful look on his face "I don't think the research is for nothing," he started, and Nina looked at him curiously. "I think Sarah's mother hid that stuff well, protecting it in her own way. We know the summerhouse was her place, so I doubt we will face any of the traps we faced in the tunnels, but she definitely had a plan. She probably had some sort of talent like her husband did." He looked at Nina, hoping she could tell him more.

Nina had actually read something about Mrs. Frobisher-Smythe's talents in some of Sarah's diaries: "Sarah liked to write about her mother's passion for art. We know she made the replica of the Mask of Anubis, so she was definitely a skilled artist. I believe she also taught her daughter about the riddles, so I bet she likes to work with those as well. That's a talent they all had. We should wait for Patricia and Eddie and hear what they found there. Everyone should be back here in ten minutes." She said, looking at the digital clock on the nightstand between the two beds.

xxx

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was back and listening to Fabian, who told them about the diary and what had been written in it. He asked Eddie and Patricia what they had found at the summerhouse.

"We did find the hieroglyphs on a painting that seems to be a lead, but we're going to need Fabian to translate everything she wrote on that thing. Besides that, we didn't find much, most of the rooms are locked, so she was either very private or there is stuff hidden there." Eddie said and Patricia nodded and handed her phone to Fabian. Nina looked at the screen over his shoulder.

The painting was absolutely beautiful, looking at it made you feel like you were in Egypt: the pyramids of what Nina assumed the Valley of The Kings were the main focus. The frame of the painting was completely covered in hieroglyphs. Nina noticed how many there were of Hathor, she also recognized some other gods. Louisa Frobisher-Smythe had been a very talented artist.

Nina wished she could've looked at the picture longer, but Fabian handed the phone back to Patricia "Can you send me these?" He said and she nodded. "Thanks," Fabian said, "I suggest we call it a day, so we can unpack and have dinner. We'll leave the books Amber, Alfie and KT found at the library here and go to the summerhouse tomorrow. I can work with this, but I want to see the painting up close, maybe we will be able to find something we can't see in the pictures."

Everyone nodded and within ten seconds they were getting up and leaving the room. Nina and Fabian shared one more look before he was the last one to leave, closing the door behind him. She then turned to Amber, "What happened with Fashion School and New York? Why did you come back?"

The blonde girl had a sad expression on her face and took a deep breath before answering. "After I did the summer school in New York I had told you about, I wanted nothing more than go back there. When I returned to Anubis House after the summer, I realized I wasn't ready to leave this place, even though I wanted to go back to New York. When I heard you wouldn't come back, Fashion School was even more appealing. But I also had a life here, even though I had lost you, I still had Alfie and I wanted to be there for Fabian. If it hadn't been for everything that had happened with the bracelet, I probably would have stayed."

She looked at Nina, her expression still the same. "When I got there, it was so different from how it had been during the summer. The students thought themselves superior, though more of them got in because of money than for their talent and almost all of them had graduated. They weren't like the girls I had met during the summer, and, more important, they weren't you. I knew there was no way to contact you and when I wanted to talk to anyone from the house, I heard Alfie had something with Willow. I decided to talk to daddy and the dean. Daddy wasn't very happy about me changing schools again, but when the dean assured him I could come back after graduation, he gave in and called Mr Sweet, who told him it would be impossible to find a place for me. It was Trudy who suggested the attic, she told me she already knew the perfect roommate for me, but wouldn't tell me her name. Now I know why."

Nina took two steps and sat down on the other bed, hugging her best friend. "I'm glad you're here Amber, when Alfie told me you'd left, I couldn't imagine living in this house without you. Who knows, maybe we can go to New York together after graduation, at least I wouldn't have to worry about a roommate to share the rent with."

This made Amber laugh, but then she got serious again "But what about Fabian?"

"We talked. He told me he still has feelings for me." Nina didn't feel like telling how deep those feelings had been. That was too personal for both of them. "I still feel the same about him as I used to. We're not together, we'll see what time will bring us."

Amber nodded and left the subject for what it was, instead they both unpacked, chatting about Amber's time in New York until Joy came up to summon them for supper.

* * *

**Okay, so because Mara isn't at the House anymore (I decided to do that because season 3 would have been her last if they continue the show), I needed an explanation for her absence. I don't know if Oxford actually offers special programs, but if they do, Mara seems like the kind of person who would get in.**

**I also didn't really know what to do with Amber's return and this was the first thing that came to my mind. It's probably not the best explanation, but at least she's back and reunited with her best friend, which is pretty much what I wanted.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five has arrived!**

**Before I tell you anything about this chapter I want to thank you all SO much for your amazing reviews! I never thought I'd get these kind of reactions, so a big hug and a cookie to you all.**

**The three other houses I was looking for in my last chapter are Isis, Mut and Hathor House. You guys will find out soon why I was asking this of you.**

**I also added a YouTube link to the song Fabian and Nina mentioned in the last chapter to my profile, although I assume most of you already know it.**

**On to this chapter: It has more timejumps than I usually use in a chapter, so I'm sorry for that. More info on the content AND my reactions to questions/suggestions I got in the reviews in the AN at the end of the chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****_House of Anubis_**** in any way.**

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_Chapter five_

Supper was energetic. Ten teenagers filled the new table, happily chatting and laughing. Nina sat at her old spot at the end of the table near the door, Fabian on her right and Amber on her left. Jerome was sitting on the other end of the table, holding Joy's hand on his left, Alfie sitting on his right. Willow was sitting next to Alfie with KT in between her and Amber. Patricia and Eddie were sitting on Joy's left side.

Nina had never seen so much food in her life. When they lived with eight teens at the house, Trudy always cooked enough food for twelve. Now there was enough food for at least twenty people. Even with Eddie and Alfie, who ate enough for six together, there was still enough to feed another house as well. Everything you could think of was either on the table or in the kitchen.

Everyone had been settled down after their arrival. Joy and Patricia were overjoyed to be sharing a room again, and had been helped by Eddie and Jerome with unpacking. Nina spent supper observing the housemates who weren't part of Sibuna and she noticed how much both Jerome and Joy had changed. Their relation was good for both of them. They looked genuinely happy, the same as she and Fabian had been when they had finally started dating.

After Eddie and Alfie had finally finished their third plate, Nina and Fabian volunteered to go on kitchen duty first. The amount of dishes was abnormal, but hopefully someone else would be on duty after the first party of the term.

They had spent the first two minutes cleaning the dishes when Fabian accidently dropped a plastic bowl into the sink, making water splash up in Nina's face, she froze for a moment and then a smirk appeared on her face. Before Fabian knew it, water was coming in his direction, Nina having the advantage because she was closest to the sink, it went on like that for a few seconds until they caught each other's eyes.

Nina stared in his eyes, they were standing very close to each other now. The soft sweet eyes that made Fabian Fabian.

And he stared back. For a few moments, they stood there and Nina felt like something was pulling her closer to him.

And then the bubble burst; Victor came in, announcing his presence with "Rutter. Martin. Clean this mess up and then get out of here." With those words he left the kitchen again, probably on his way to do what he had been intending to do in the first place.

They quickly finished the remaining dishes and cleaned up the puddles of water on the floor.

"Do you want me to help you unpack or something?" Fabian asked, slightly uncomfortable. Nina smiled, "I'm all set. But I'm sure Amber would take you up on that offer. She has brought more shoes with her than you can imagine."

Fabian laughed and followed her upstairs.

xxx

Amber had turned the dark and gloomy room into a cozy girl's room. Fairy lights were sparkling all over the room. Both the beds were made with orange and pink beddings and covered in matching pillows in various sizes. More pillows were in the small corner next to Nina's bed. The space behind the secret panel was filled with pink shoeboxes and fancy shopping bags. A floor length mirror was standing next to Amber's bed and the huge wardrobe was opened. Nina's clothes had taken one drawer and a third of the door space. The other drawer and two-third of the space would hopefully be enough for Amber Millington.

Fabian looked impressed "You did all this in one afternoon?" He looked around the room. Nina smiled, "Amber did most of it, which is why my suitcase is empty and already under my bed, while Amber's suitcases are still standing in the middle of the room."

"I'd rather unpack my stuff later than sleep in this room without any decorations. We only need curtains and a carpet. This floor is really ugly." The enthusiastic blonde said. Nina didn't want to know how Amber had managed to get all this stuff here so quickly and she hadn't asked. She just had to talk to Amber about the desk that had been turned into a dressing table, which meant there was no space for studying anymore.

"Do you need help, Amber?" Fabian asked. Nina already knew the answer: this room needed a woman's touch, boys were only necessary for hanging stuff up, and that wasn't really Fabian's specialty. So instead, Nina sat down on her freshly made bed and Fabian quickly followed, sitting down on the bed as well at a comfortable distance. Their legs weren't touching, but they weren't too far away from each other either, both of them facing their best friend, who had just opened her second huge pink suitcase.

"I was thinking about going to the summerhouse tomorrow. I want to see it for myself, you should come as well, Fabian, so you can take a better look at the painting." Nina suggested.

"I think we should all go." Amber turned around and looked at her best friends, a pair of pink heels in one hand and an orange dress in the other, "Tomorrow is our last day before classes will start on Monday and since every minute counts, all seven of us should go, that way it will take less time to go through the place, didn't you hear what Patricia and Eddie said? That place is huge."

"I'm not saying it's not a good idea," Nina said, "but wouldn't it attract too much attention if so many people are gone from the house? Joy and Jerome know about the club, so they'll know we're up to something." Nina thought about it for a few seconds. Both Joy and Jerome had been valuable allies in the past, so it wouldn't be that bad if they knew, they could decide for themselves whether or not they wanted to be involved, which left Willow. Nina didn't really know her, she did know that Willow being Alfie's girlfriend could cause some problems now and then. It had been the same when Eddie hadn't been part of Sibuna yet and Patricia had just started dating him. And besides that, Willow was the only person in the house who didn't know about any of its mysteries. According to Alfie, she had forgotten what had happened when she'd had the key that protected her from Ammut. "I think at least one of us should stay behind. It doesn't matter if Joy and Jerome know, but I don't want Willow to find out, so let's meet tomorrow after breakfast. Maybe Alfie or KT could stay behind." she concluded and Fabian and Amber nodded.

xxx

Fabian left for his own room around nine o'clock so Amber and Nina could have some time alone and prepare for bed. While Amber was going through her whole evening rital, Nina sat on her bed, fumbling with her locket and thinking. What if they didn't find what they needed in time? What if she had to leave Fabian and the house again? And what if they did manage to find what they needed? What would happen between her and the guy she was in love with? Would they just be friends? Or would their previous relationship be restored? She didn't even dare to think about graduation and what would happen after that.

"Something's bothering you." Amber said, and it wasn't a question. Amber had always known Nina better than anyone else in the house had, including Fabian. Amber had known Fabian and Nina had liked each other before they had even realized it by themselves. Nina couldn't lie to Amber, so she didn't: "I was just thinking about what could happen after all of this."

Amber walked around her bed and sat down, right across her best friend. "Nina," she said with confidence "I've seen you and Fabian together since you first arrived here. Don't pretend this has nothing to do with him." She said before Nina could even start protesting, "I know one thing for sure: you and him are going to be fine. He loves you, I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you, like you're the most beautiful and precious thing on this planet. It's the kind of look you don't see often, not even in the movies. Don't give up on Fabian, Nina, because you probably won't find anyone like him ever again." She had a dreamy look on her face, but somehow Amber knew what she was talking about Nina realized.

"Is that how you feel about Alfie?" She had said it before she knew it and immediately knew she'd hit a sensitive subject. Amber lowered her head "I don't know how I feel about Alfie. When we went to the library together, I realized just how much I had missed him. Alfie makes me laugh, and in a selfish way I want him in the way Willow has him now." She looked up at Nina, the roles were reversed now. "I'm the one who left and I set him free, but I hadn't expected that he'd get a new girlfriend so soon."

"I know it's annoying when people say 'I know how you feel'," Nina said, "but I do know how you feel. When Fabian told me he'd dated Mara, I felt so jelous. Mara is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met, and I could never dislike her, but just the thought of Fabian being with someone else did something to me. It made me wish it was me he was happy with instead of her." Amber nodded understandingly, "I just don't want to go all 'Joy' on them and do to them what she tried to do to you and Fabian. I want Alfie to be happy."

"I don't think Joy will be acting like that anytime soon. She looks so happy with Jerome and they're actually a great fit. Did you expect them to ever become like that?" Nina knew this kind of talk would cheer Amber up. And it did. Amber loved talking about the love life of others, and it was the topic of their conversation until they both fell asleep.

Morning came way to fast. Nina couldn't remember the last time she'd slept as deep as she had last night. She blamed the jetlag. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of having a jetlag since she'd arrived, there had been too much stuff going on to even think about it.

Amber was still asleep in the other bed. According to Nina's phone, it was 8.30 in the morning. They had their first class of their final year in 24 hours.

With this in mind, Nina quietly got out of bed, grabbed some clothes and her toilet bag and went to the bathroom, hoping it wouldn't be occupied. One bathroom for all those people really wasn't enough.

Just as Nina walked around the corner towards the bathroom door, Joy came out, almost running into Nina. Nina really wanted to talk to Joy since they had never finished their conversation from the day before. Because they would probably be at the summerhouse for most of the day, Nina knew she'd have to do it after dinner tonight. She wanted to set things right with Joy before school would start, it would also mean a lot to Fabian if the two of them would ever become good friends, but she didn't think that far yet, just friends would be enough for now.

After Nina had asked Joy to meet with her in the attic bedroom an Joy had agreed, Nina went into the bathroom, took a quick shower, got dressed, did her hair and went downstairs where Fabian and Patricia had already taken the seats they'd been sitting on the night before. Joy came in right after Nina, she had probably woken Jerome (and Alfie) first. Because enough people were awake in Nina's opinion, she went out of the room, announcing that she was going to wake Amber as well. The earlier they could start, the better.

Luckily for Nina, she found Amber already awake waiting in front of the bathroom door. "Who's in there?" Nina asked, looking at the bathroom door. Amber looked a bit annoyed, Nina knew how much she hated waiting for the bathroom. "I believe KT is. I hope I won't have to wait too long."

If KT was in there, the only Sibuna member who wasn't awake yet would be Eddie, assuming Joy had woken up both Alfie and Jerome earlier. She'd check on that when she went back downstairs. Nina reminded Amber of a quick Sibuna meeting after breakfast and asked her friend to pass the message on to KT, Nina would tell those who were already downstairs.

xxx

An hour later, the attic bedroom was filled with six people. Alfie had taken Willow out for the day, which meant they wouldn't have to worry about her for that day. Amber had looked jelous when KT had told the group what Willow had told her earlier that morning. At least Nina could keep the meeting short and she quickly explained the plans for that day: the six of them would go to the summerhouse to look for any more clues. Fabian had promised he'd do his best to translate the hieroglyphs before supper so they could quickly move on to the next step.

It took her no more than ten minutes to make sure everything was clear to everyone and everyone knew what the plan was. After that, they were off to the summerhouse.

It was the perfect kind of remote from the house, the walk wasn't too long, but it still gave you the idea that you had left the school grounds. Which they hadn't. The style of the house was different from the other buildings and Nina knew right away why Sarah's mother had loved this place. Despite the fact that it hadn't been used in almost eighty years, it was beautiful, and the look of abandonment only gave it more character. Nina couldn't wait to go inside.

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**For those who don't remember the summer house: it was shown (outside only) in ****_House of Defeat_****.**

**On the Fabina moment in the kitchen: I believe something similar has happened before, so I'm sorry for that.**

**I hope you all have some sort of image on Nina's and Amber's room in your head. I wanted something cozy, but the room doesn't seem to be that big, so I really hope it makes sense.**

**Reviews:**

**_Guest:_**** I can't PM you because you're on guest modus, so I'm sorry you didn't get a teaser. We will definitely get some Jeroy stuff, but the main focus will be on Fabian and Nina.**

**_Justagirlwithwords_****: I already PM'ed you, but for everyone to read: a Nina/Eddie friendship is definitely something I am currently planning out!**

**To everyone else: Thanks again for all your positive reviews and suggestions! If there's anything you would like to see happening in this story, suggest it and I'll think about it. Also, if anything is unclear, please don't hesitate to ask in a review or a PM, I would hate to cause confusion!**

**Next chapter: The Scooby Gang (thanks Joy) enters the summerhouse, and they find something they didn't expect. And Nina and Joy talk it out (and maybe even more!)**


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